


#Homecoming

by SharksWrites



Category: Sam & Cat (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-17
Updated: 2014-08-17
Packaged: 2018-02-13 11:44:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2149539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SharksWrites/pseuds/SharksWrites





	#Homecoming

Sam woke clutching a plastic spork she’d pocketed at dinner. Cat was already awake. She sat at the foot of Sam’s bed, staring out through the bars and playing nervously with the ends of her hair. The rest of the block was quiet. Sam guessed the sun hadn’t even risen. 

“Why are you awake already.” Sam complained. When Cat didn’t answer, Sam sat up. The movement made Cat turn around. Her face was covered with worry.

“What’s going on?” Sam whispered.

“They said that boy dropped the charges.” Cat replied.

“What? That’s great!” Sam said.

“What is?” Cat asked.

“Kid, you get to go home.” Sam said. She poked Cat’s shoulder with the spork for emphasis, but her amusement didn’t pass over the way she’d hoped. Cat turned back to the darkness outside the cell. Sam shoved the spork under her pillow and scooted further down the bed so she was sitting next to Cat.

“Why aren’t you excited?” she asked.

“You don’t get to go with me.” Cat said quietly. 

“I’ll be fine.” Sam chuckled. “You’re the one I was worried about.”

Cat tried to smile, but she still couldn’t clear the worry from her face. Sam didn’t want her to leave but she wasn’t about to admit that she was a little scared to be there alone. She wasn’t sure what else to say. They sat in silence until a gruff looking guard came to escort Cat.

He motioned for her to stand, a low grunt his only other communication. She looked slightly confused when he handcuffed her. Sam fought the instinct to fight _him_ when he grabbed Cat’s arm and pulled her roughly from the cell. Cat used what little give she had in the hold to glance back at Sam. Sam could only watch her go.

 

* * *

 

“Name.” The guard behind the window said. He looked angry. Maybe he was just tired.

“Cat Valentine.” Cat said.

The guard pulled a labeled manila envelope from a bin filled with others just like it. He dropped it on the counter between them and slid it over to Cat. She grabbed the envelope once it was past the glass divider and clutched it to her chest. She didn’t have much on her when she was arrested, but it still felt nice to get her possessions back.

“Thank you.” Cat said sweetly. The guard looked at her like it was the strangest thing he’d heard all day.

“Um, you’re welcome.” He said. He glanced around as if politeness wasn’t allowed at his workplace. Cat was already walking towards the waiting room.

Movement in the next room caught her attention. She paused and looked over to see Lori waving at her from behind the reinforced pane in the middle of the Warden’s office door. No one was watching her, so when Lori motioned for her to walk closer, she totally did.

“Hey.” Lori whispered.

She was waiting in the office alone. None of the guards seemed to care that she was now leaning out of the doorway to talk to Cat. Cat was technically no longer a prisoner, and Lori was their boss’ daughter.

“I have an idea.” Lori said.

 

* * *

 

There was hardly anyone in the waiting room. A few parents waited for their kids to be released after one night stays. A few social workers waited to meet their next case. And Dice, who looked like he may have slept in one of the waiting room chairs. He jumped up when he saw Cat but immediately looked past her in confusion.

“Where’s Sam?” He asked.

“They didn’t let her out.” Cat said.

“Let her out?” Dice asked. He stepped forward in concern. “She was supposed to be here just long enough to get _you_ out. What are we gonna do?” His hair was starting to poof. Cat wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

“Well, Dice, I have a plan. But I’m gonna need your help.” She said.

“Why do I feel like I’m not gonna like this?” Dice asked quietly.

“Because you won’t.” Cat said matter-of-factly. Dice sighed, but listened to what he had to do.

 

* * *

 

Sam sat at an empty table with her sad looking tray. Lori was still off talking to her dad. Soon he would forgive her for whatever teenage delinquency she’d shown and she would be gone too. Sam sighed and slouched over her breakfast.

She wondered how long it would take for Nona to send the copy of her birth certificate. She also wondered if Lori was eating something better than the spam that the inmates were offered. She was pretty sure the meal was actually cat food. That didn’t stop her from wishing there was more of it. Her stomach growled loudly.

She shoveled the food into her mouth and pushed the tray away, so she could rest her head on her folded arms. She heard someone sit across from her.

“Get ready.” Lori whispered.

“Why.” Sam grumbled.

“You’re getting out of here.” Lori whispered. Sam’s gaze snapped up.

“What’s that?” She asked. Lori didn’t answer. She was watching one of the guards. Sam turned to look at him too.

The guard held his walkie-talkie to his ear. His expression slowly changed from annoyance to confusion as he listened. He motioned for one of his coworkers to join him and they whispered to each other as they walked into the hallway.

It left only one guard watching the room. As if on cue, Lori jumped up from her seat. She put a hand over her heart and collapsed to the ground with an exaggerated wail.

Sam watched her in confusion as the lone guard rushed over. The other girls gathered around in concern. Even the unfriendly ones.

Sam heard a loud whispering behind her.

“Sam!” Cat called. Sam turned around. Cat peered at her from around the dining hall door.  She gestured frantically for Sam to follow before she disappeared back into the hallway. Sam tried to look casual as she stepped away from the group. When the guard called into his walkie for help, she turned and jogged out of the room. Cat was waiting for her.

“What are you doing here?” Sam asked in a harsh whisper.

“I’m helping you.” Cat whispered back. She started walking quickly down the hallway. Sam jogged a few steps to catch up.

“You could get caught.” She protested.

“Then I’ll just be back in here with you.” Cat said with a smile. Sam wasn’t sure how to respond. She couldn’t remember the last time someone put themselves at risk for her.

Cat wasn’t sure why Sam would think she would just go home. She would never leave her best friend behind, especially not in the one place that seemed to make her nervous.

They ran down the hallways, towards a back door Lori told Cat about. She’d also informed her that few of the security cameras they passed actually worked. As they ran past the hallway to the visitation room, they heard Dice’s voice.

“I wanna see my mommy!” He yelled. They heard his shoes stomping and guards arguing about how to calm him down. Sam chuckled, thinking of Dice lying on the dirty jail floor. She made a mental note to make fun of him for it later. He would probably mistake it for a thank you, saving her from actually having to say it.

 

* * *

 

Sam burst into the apartment and bee lined for the back door. She rushed outside, dropped to her knees by her motorcycle, and wrapped her arms around it.

"It's okay," she cooed, "Momma's home." She patted the side as she added, "And Momma's gotta eat."

She jumped back up and rubbed her hands together in anticipation as she walked to the fridge.

When she swung the fridge door open, she almost cried. _Nona's leftovers._ She pulled a casserole dish from one of the shelves and set it on the counter. She didn’t bother to grab a utensil, or even close the fridge door.

She pulled off the lid and sank her hands into the untouched kugel. The noodles were cool. Cottage cheese oozed from between her fingers. The mess was just another reason to scarf the meal down. Her eyes shut briefly as she savored the taste. She was still chewing when she turned to pull the next dish from the fridge.

Cat walked out of the bedroom carrying as many stuffed animals as she could fit her arms around. When she saw Sam, they both froze. Sam lowered the chicken leg that was halfway to her mouth.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked.

Cat turned slightly away as if trying to physically avoid the question.

"What are _you_ doing?" She countered.

"I'm eating." Sam said. "Like I usually do."

"Oh." Cat said. She eyed the growing lineup of half-eaten dishes before she walked towards the couch. 

She sat calmly and seemed uncertain for a few moments about which stuffed animal she would set down to pick up the remote. Sam smiled slightly, but her smile faded when she saw how tightly Cat squeezed the toys.

 

* * *

 

A heavy knocking on the front door ripped Sam from her sleep the next morning. She sat up with her blankets wrapped tightly around her and her hair a tangled mess hanging over her face. The sun was just starting to light the sky. She was not a fan of this pattern of early rising. She lay back down and covered her head with her pillow. It did nothing to drown out the noise. She sat back up.

Cat was awake too, but the way she hid behind her covers while she listened to the increasingly aggressive knocking made it clear she wasn’t going to go answer. Sam rolled off her bed and walked sluggishly into the hall.

The knocking was even louder in the living room. The shaking of the door shook the last of the slumber from Sam’s mind. She was fairly alert by the time she opened the door and even more so when she saw the two uniformed officers standing just outside.

“We’re looking for Samatio Puckettito.” One of the cops said slowly. His lack of accent made reading the name off the warrant difficult. 

“Never heard of her.” Sam said.

“Well you look an awful lot like her.” The other cop said. He looked down at a surveillance photo in his hand. Probably given to them to aid in the arrest.

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding.” Sam said.

“And if you can show us an American birth certificate, we might be inclined to believe you.” The first cop said. 

“Of course.” Sam said.

She stepped back so she could swing the door mostly shut, but the first cop stuck out his foot to keep a clear view into the apartment. Sam didn’t fight it. She ran back to her room to get the document. 

Cat was sitting up in bed. She watched Sam reach for a pile of papers on the floor by her bed. She pulled the birth certificate off of the top and held it up triumphantly, glad Nona had to pull it from the messy stack to make the copy. She carried it quickly back out, ready to put this ordeal behind her.

“Here you go.” Sam said as she held out the document. The second cop took it from her. He examined the paper while his partner eyed Sam and peered past her into the living room.

“Anybody else here with you?” The first cop asked. 

“Um, no. No one, officer.” Sam said. She hoped he didn’t try to look for himself. For a moment he seemed like he might, but his partner squashed his curiosity.

“Looks good to me.” The second cop said. He handed the birth certificate back to Sam.

“Sorry you wasted your time.” Sam said. It was a lie, but she hoped it would make them leave faster. The first cop turned with an annoyed huff and strode off.

“Just so you know, we don’t treat all our visitors like this.” The second cop said, surely trying to protect their image after the 'mistake'.

“Visitors?” Sam asked.

“To Arizona.” The cop clarified.

“Never been.” Sam said with a shrug. She let the door swing shut between them.

 

* * *

 

Cat carried her basket of dirty laundry out of the bedroom. Sam lay sprawled across the couch, one foot propped up on the back. She turned down the TV volume when she heard Cat’s overwhelmed groan. Sam wasn’t used to Cat being in a sour mood. She was even more concerned when Cat let go of the basket and let it thud to the floor.

“All my clothes are dirty.” Cat complained. “I still have to clean the apartment.”

“Don’t forget you have to babysit later.” Sam added.

“Oh no, I forgot.” Cat said with wide eyes. “We don’t have any food for them.” She sighed, and Sam felt a little bad about mentioning it. 

“I’m going to the store.” Cat said. She hurried out of the apartment. 

Sam looked around the room. Cat mentioned cleaning, but it didn’t look too bad to her. Not that seeing a mess would inspire her to do anything about it. Cat never asked her to help and she never offered. She wondered if Cat wished she would pitch in but was too nice to mention it.

She tried to turn her attention back to the TV, but the wondering didn’t go away. She even turned up the volume to drown it out. Still she mused. Cat did everything. Even get them out of the most serious situation they’d recently faced. And that was when Sam was the one trying to solve the problem.

Her thoughts were finally interrupted by a knock at the door. She had no intention of answering. Luckily, Nona didn’t need an invitation to walk in.

“Is Cat here?” Nona asked.

“She just left.” Sam said.

“Oh. I wanted to hear what she thought of the food.” Nona said.

“She loved it.” Sam said quickly, just to be safe. If Nona actually asked Cat about the food, she would find out that Cat never got a bite of it.

Nona walked further into the apartment, but stopped short when she saw Cat's laundry.

"Sam, did you leave your dirty laundry sitting here?" Nona asked pointedly.

“It's Cat's.” Sam said. 

The wheels immediately started turning in her mind. She thought about her failure to rescue Cat. She thought about how few things she’d ever actually done for her friend. She wondered if Cat ever thought she was useless.

"Actually,” Sam said as she sat up, “She was hoping you would do it for her."

"I have some time." Nona said.

She picked up the basket and carried it out of the apartment. Sam flopped back down on the couch with a smile.

 

* * *

 

When Nona brought the laundry back a little while later, Sam hadn’t moved. She did get up once before Cat returned, but only to retrieve the last of the chicken from the fridge.

Cat walked in humming. Being outside improved her mood. It was a reminder of her freedom.

“Your laundry's on the counter.” Sam said. Cat walked over to the basket and gasped.

"It's clean." She said.

"It is." Sam said, unfazed by the observation.

"Did you do that?" Cat asked.

"Yes. Yes I did." Sam said. Cat smiled.

“Well, I should do something for you.” She offered.

"Nah.” Sam said. “It's for, y'know..." she suddenly felt awkward. She picked up the remote so she could pretend to surf through channels. "It’s for getting me out of jail and stuff."

"Sam, that's so nice. Thank you." Cat said.

Sam waved off the statement, but when Cat walked away she smiled just the tiniest bit. It felt nice to be thanked. It felt nice to see Cat’s day made a little easier. It made her want to do it again. Or, have someone else do it again.

 

* * *

 

Sam was watching the door when Nona walked in. While Cat was out helping Dice, she had the perfect opportunity.

“Sam? Are you alright?” Nona asked. “Did Cat need something?”

“Nope. I wanted to see you.” Sam said. She'd learned her lesson with the meatballs. This time she had a new approach. “While you stayed here I realized that you’re _such_ a good cook.” Nona smiled at the compliment.

“Maybe, you could teach me how to make something?” Sam asked. "Something simple." It had to be believable that the dish came from her.

Any suspicion Nona may have had was swept away. She set down her purse and walked over to the kitchen.

“I _knew_  our time together would bring us closer.” She said.

“Yes. It did.” Sam said. There was no inflection in her tone. She had to force a smile to cover the lie. Nona didn’t notice. She was already opening cupboards.

“Okay, first you need a bowl.” She said. Once she found one, she turned to look for the other supplies she needed. It didn’t take her long to set them all out on the counter. “I know I left some flour around.”

As Nona looked for ingredients for the lesson, Sam slowly slid her phone from her pocket. She tuned out Nona’s explanations, opting to instead watch muted videos of workout accidents.

At some point she realized Nona was silent. She looked up to see Nona watching her with a raised eyebrow. She was holding out a mixing spoon covered in cookie dough. Her offer for Sam to participate must have alerted her to her student’s lack of interest.

"I see what's going on here." Nona said.

"What? Nothing's going on." Sam said.

“You just wanted cookies.” Nona said. She started to scoop the dough onto a cookie sheet. “Well you can’t have any. I’ll save them for when Cat gets back.”

"Or," Sam said. She paused with raised eyebrows and one palm up as if presenting a far better option. "You could make the cookies and then leave _before_ Cat gets back."

“Why would I leave before I even got to try-“ The truth hit Nona halfway through her sentence. Sam saw the realization wash over Nona’s face. She smiled sheepishly when Nona looked back at her. “Sam.” Nona warned, waiting for an explanation.

Sam kicked at the bottom of the island so she had somewhere to look other than at Nona.

“Cat does everything for me, so I wanted to do something nice for her.” She said softly.

“So why am I here?” Nona asked as she put a hand on one hip. 

“Because.” Sam said. She shrugged. “I don’t _like_ to do things.”

“Well, is Cat your friend?” Nona asked.

“Yeah, of course.” Sam said.

“And isn’t that a little more important than avoiding doing things?” Nona asked. 

“…Maybe…” Sam said.

Nona’s expression softened. She knew Sam was trying to be nice to Cat. She also knew Sam could do a way better job of it.

“You could really hurt her feelings if she finds out you lied.” Nona said. “It’s not that hard, just do something for Cat that you’d like someone to do for you.”

“Okay.” Sam said.

She smiled when Nona finished making the cookies anyway. She only let Sam have one though. The rest were Nona’s compensation for the advice, and to prevent Sam from taking credit as planned.

She didn’t have much time to make something else, so she did what Nona suggested. She thought of a meal that always cheered her up and made it for Cat. It was nothing fancy. She was still fairly proud of the result. She’d just added the finishing touch when Cat walked into the apartment.

“What are you doing?” Cat asked. She walked closer. Sam gestured broadly to the kitchen counter with a smile.

“I made you a sandwich.” Sam said. “We didn’t have peanut butter, and I knew you would be back soon, so I improvised.”

Cat stared at the mass of soppy bread on the plate. Jelly oozed from between the many layers of bread. Butter was smeared across the top slice and Sam had sprinkled peanuts over the whole thing. There were still stray pieces strewn across the countertop. Cat eyed the plate.

"Is this real food?" She asked.

"Why wouldn't it be real?" Sam asked.

"You haven't eaten it yet." Cat said.

"I made it for you." Sam said. Jelly dripped from the middle of the bread stack to the plate. Cat wondered if there was any jelly even left in the jar.

She nervously played with the ends of her hair and watched Sam, looking for some sign of her motives.

"Are you trickering me?" Cat asked softly.

"You know what, never mind." Sam said, blushing heavily. She stormed towards the back door.

"Wait! Wait!" Cat said. She ran to block Sam's path.

Sam stopped but couldn't look up from the floor.

"You really made that for me?" Cat asked. Sam shrugged.

"I lied earlier." She mumbled. “I didn’t do your laundry, Nona did. And I was gonna have her make cookies so I could say _I_ made cookies, so that you would think I was actually helping out.” She took a deep breath after her admission. “And I’m sorry.” She added.

Cat beamed. She loved when Sam let her softer side show. It made her insides feel funny, but in a good way. She didn't even mind that Sam lied when she thought of how few people Sam had ever apologized to.

Sam slowly met her gaze. Cat wrapped her arms around Sam's shoulders to pull her into a tight hug. Sam sighed loudly but didn't fight it. A few seconds passed.

"Uh, Cat?" Sam asked.

"You want some of that food don't you." Cat said knowingly.

"Yes." Sam blurted out. She spun out of the hug, grabbed Cat's hand, and pulled her towards the kitchen.


End file.
